Broaden Your Positivity Scope by Bryan Robinson
WRITING RESILIENCE
To me the glass is half empty some days and half-full on others. Sometimes it’s bone dry. Or overflowing.—Mary Alice Monroe
Two things we know about our power as writers: one is that we have the ability to change our outlook; two is that a positive outlook leads us toward more possibilities than a negative one.
When we’re dealing with stressful writing situations, positivity unlocks the range of possibilities. It helps us focus on an encouraging outcome that negativity hides from view. Simply put, negativity keeps us targeted on the writing problem, whereas positivity helps us discover solutions to it. When we intentionally widen our scope, we see the big picture of possible solutions and more potential for success instead of staying mired in the problem.
Known as the broaden-and-build effect, this strategy expands our worldview and allows us to take more in so we can see many more solutions to writing woes. The more we take in, the more ideas and actions we add to our literary toolbox.
Contemplate your writing woes. Be willing to widen old points of view and let your imagination roam. “I’ll never be a writer” becomes “I’m still learning how to become the best writer I can be.”
Today’s Takeaway
Step back from your negative beliefs and broaden your positivity scope
by brainstorming a wide range of possibilities that can build an arsenal
for your writing success.
From Daily Writing Resilience by Bryan Robinson. © 2018 by Bryan Robinson. Used by permission from Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd., www.Llewellyn.com.
Bryan E. Robinson is a licensed psychotherapist and author of two novels and 40 nonfiction books. He applies his experiences to crafting insightful nonfiction self-help books and psychological thrillers. His multi-award winning southern noir murder mystery, Limestone Gumption, won the New Apple Book Medal for best psychological suspense, the Silver IPPY Award for outstanding mystery of the year, the Bronze Foreword Review INDIEFAB Book Award for best mystery, and the 2015 USA Regional Excellence Book Award for best fiction in the Southeast.
His most recent release is Daily Writing Resilience: 365 Meditations and Inspirations for Writers (Llewellyn Worldwide, 2018). He has written for Psychology Today, First for Women, and Natural Health, and his blogs and columns for writers appear in Southern Writer’s Magazine. He is a consulting editor for The Big Thrill, the online magazine for International Thriller Writers. His long-selling book, Chained to the Desk, is now in its 3rd Edition (New York University Press, 1998, 2007, 2014). His books have been translated into thirteen languages, and he has appeared on every major television network: 20/20, Good Morning America, ABC’s World News Tonight, NBC Nightly News, NBC Universal, The CBS Early Show, CNBC’s The Big Idea. He hosted the PBS documentary, Overdoing It: How to Slow Down and Take Care of Yourself.